After last week's confirmation of Tom Coronel as a Spyker factory driver, Spyker Squadron today reveals Tom&#226;€™s team mate for the upcoming race season: Czech talent and former Spyker Squadron pilot Jarek Janis will share the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R with Tom in the Le Mans Series and in the most grueling endurance race of all; the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Although both have raced the Spyker GT2 race cars before they have never shared a car in the past.

Jarek Janis: “I am really pleased to be back with the team. After the accident at Spa Franchorchamps in 2007 my first priority was to fully recover and get fit to be able race again. Fortunately Peter van Erp gave me a chance to test with the team last week at Vallelunga, Italy, and everything went really well. We successfully completed over 200 laps in two days and the car felt great. Both the aerodynamics and the engine have been improved a lot compared to the Spyker C8 that I raced in 2007”.

He continues: “I am looking forward to race next season, we have a good chance to be a front runner, and I am pleased to share the car with Tom Coronel, he truly is great person to work with and brings a lot of experience to the team. I would like to thank team manager Peter van Erp for giving me the opportunity to race and Victor Muller and Antonin Charouz for making it possible for me to compete with a Spyker at Le Mans”.

Tom Coronel: “Last week it was the first time I met with Jarek. He is a great guy to work with and although he is young, he is very bright and, most important, quick. If you look at his resume it is easy to understand why Spyker Squadron has chosen for Jarek”.

Antonin Charouz, manager of Jarek Janis: "I am very glad that we succeeded to close a deal with Spyker Squadron and that Jarek became official factory driver of Spyker. Thanks to that, Jarek returns to a team where they know each other well. He also returns to world class sports cars racing competing in both the Le Mans Series and the 24 Hours of Le Mans".

Peter van Erp, managing director Spyker Squadron: “I am exited to have Jarek back in our team. We have worked with Jarek and his manager Antonin Charouz since 2007 and it has always been a pleasure to work with them. We first talked with Jarek before Christmas and decided to invite Jarek for our two day Vallelunga test last week. After a thorough evaluation the team decided to contract him for 2009. We have high expectations that both Tom and Jarek will perform well”.

In the next weeks the team will reveal further details of their 2009 plans.

By Marcel ten Caat ⋅ February 28, 2009
Snoras Spyker Squadron has completed its line-up for the Le Mans 24 Hours after signing Dutchman Jeroen Bleekemolen. Bleekemolen will join Tom Coronel and Jarek Janis in the Spyker C8 Laviolette GT2R at the Circuit de la Sarthe next June.

The Spyker team has been able to assemble a highly experienced line-up for its Le Mans attempt in the LM GT2 class. Earlier on the Dutch team already confirmed Tom Coronel and Jarek Janis for the Le Mans 24 Hours as well as the full Le Mans Series.

Like his two team mates Jeroen Bleekemolen has got a lot of experience in sportscar and GT racing and is also very familiar with the team from Zeewolde, The Netherlands. Bleekemolen already raced for Spyker in the Le Mans Series and at Le Mans back in 2006 and has since then raced for Racing for Holland and Van Merksteijn Motorsport. Last year Bleekemolen won the LMP2 class at Le Mans.

Short translation:
"One of the parties who owned Honda Formula 1 and the current management have negotiated Muller, CEO of Spyker Cars NV listed in Zeewolde. There is no doubt that Vladimir Antonov as his major stockholder is involved. This Russian millionaire, the Lithuanian bank owned Snoras, which name comes back on the Le Mans GT cars from Spyker."